The Bombay High Court has reserved its verdict on a plea filed by Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty seeking protection of his personality rights against their misuse on social media platforms and various websites. Justice Arif Doctor heard arguments from Shetty's counsel, senior advocate Birendra Saraf, and reserved the order on the interim application. The court is expected to pass an ex parte ad-interim order in due course.

Shetty's petition highlights the increasing misuse of celebrity images in the digital age, particularly through deepfake content and false brand endorsements. He seeks the removal of infringing content across digital platforms and social media channels but clarified that he is not demanding a blanket ban or blocking of entire websites, only the specific infringing materials.

The actor, who has appeared in over 100 films, filed a commercial intellectual property rights infringement suit against several social media platforms, websites, and unknown persons, citing "extensive and ongoing infringement and unauthorised commercial exploitation" of his persona. The plea states that his photographs and deepfake images, including those with his grandchild, were being used for commercial gain by real estate agencies, gambling and astrology websites, and merchandise sellers without his consent or authorization.

Saraf drew the court's attention to a disturbing instance involving a deepfake image of Shetty with a grandchild that was circulated on social media. He argued that the unauthorized use of Shetty's identity for profit amounts to misrepresentation and exploitation. Shetty also argued that using his photographs and likeness without permission violated his personality rights and could harm his reputation. He added that the business models of such websites were designed to unlawfully monetize Shetty's persona and "debase the goodwill and reputation that the plaintiff has cultivated over many years".

Shetty seeks a permanent injunction restraining all defendants from misusing his personality rights — including his name, image, likeness, voice, or any other attributes — in any form, especially through AI-generated or deepfake content. He has also sought directions to take down infringing content and prohibit the manufacture or sale of counterfeit merchandise using his likeness.

The court orally remarked that "it is scary what people can do with the unregulated use of AI on social media". Shetty's counsel emphasized the growing threat of AI-generated content infringing on personal dignity and privacy. He submitted that deepfake pictures showing Shetty are put up on the internet and his images are used for commercial purposes by real estate agencies, astrology websites, and gambling websites without any authorization, consent, or association.

This case joins a growing list of Indian celebrities taking legal action to protect their likeness from digital misuse. In recent months, actors including Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff have also moved courts seeking similar protection against deepfakes and image manipulation for commercial gain.